Link: Synthetic Cadaver Dogs?

"Animal cadavers are bad, not just because they were once live animals but because once the tissues are frozen and or preserved, they're not the same anymore, so they don't feel the same and they don't perform the same," said Dr. Christopher Sakezles, the founder of SynDaver Labs. "This product is going to give them more of a lifelike experience with the tissue," he said.

Dr. Hehn's Take

Any opportunity to simulate a life-like experience in veterinary training is fantastic. Reducing animal use is important and in some instances and I can see the value in a product such as the synthetic cadaver dog. The most beneficial is that these dogs simulate a complete lifelike experience in that they have a "blood supply" and can "breathe."

These amazing works of art don't come cheap! The dogs carry a $28,000 price tag for 35-40 operations. My guess is that most vet schools and vet tech schools will not likely be able to pay for their students to practice on these, when they can use real cadavers at a fraction of the cost. Hopefully the crowdfunding campaign will be successful, as the next step for this company is creating a realistic cat! I know that these true works of art are worth this price- just realistically, the way funding is being cut for most schools, I will be curious to see how many can afford to use them.

Realize that the cadavers we use in school are animals that have already been euthanized for other reasons (at least when I was in school), and we fully respect and appreciate their contribution to our learning after-death. These synthetic cadavers would be a viable alternative for students who do not wish to participate in live terminal surgeries at schools who may still be performing those, and most schools now are moving away from that and looking for alternatives such as this.

Read the full Article from chicagotribune.com